\n
\nA revitalized Al-Jazira shook champions Al-Ain on an epic night, runners-up Sharjah clung on for victory at Ajman, and new boys Al-Bataeh rose to third during the ADNOC Pro League\u2019s unforgettable matchweek 3.<\/p>\n
\nAn electrified Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium was the venue for Thursday\u2019s opening heavyweight clash of the campaign \u2014 and it did not disappoint.<\/p>\n
\nAl-Jazira\u2019s Ali Mabkhout added to his icon status by sealing a 2-1 win for the Pride of Abu Dhabi in a contest that also featured Al-Ain right-back Bandar Al-Ahbabi\u2019s dismissal. Spain striker Paco Alcacer\u2019s pinpoint header earlier on the same evening sealed a nervy 3-2 triumph for the 10-man Sharjah, which twice trailed to unfortunate Ajman.<\/p>\n
\nLourency\u2019s second goal in three games saw Bataeh, which handed a bow to 2015 AFC Player of the Year Ahmed Khalil, prevail 1-0 over Baniyas; Syria attacker Omar Khrbin heaped pressure on underperforming former employers Al-Wahda with the opener in 10-man Shabab Al-Ahli Dubai Club\u2019s 2-1 success; and a late double from Ittihad Kalba condemned bottom-placed Al-Dhafra to a 2-0 defeat. Promoted Dibba Al-Fujairah drew 1-1 at Al-Wasl, while Khor Fakkan and Al-Nasr played out the season\u2019s first goalless stalemate.<\/p>\n
\nHere are Arab News\u2019 top picks and a talking point from the latest action:<\/p>\n
\nPlayer of the week: Ali Mabkhout (Al-Jazira)<\/strong><\/p>\n\nMabkhout is heralded as club royalty at Jazira, and displays like this, on nights like this, show why.<\/p>\n
\nUAE football\u2019s leading marksman, both for the national team and in top-flight history, performed at a different level on what felt like a breakthrough occasion. An estimated 20,000-strong crowd created a volcanic atmosphere, with each play greeted by tribal roars.<\/p>\n
\nA clever assist and instinctive finish proved the difference from Mabkhout against the title-holders. Their top performers, Ukraine maestro Andriy Yarmolenko and Togo hitman Kodjo Fo-Doh Laba, who netted the leveler, were unable to outshine him.<\/p>\n
\nThe first goal was crafted via a back-heel from Mabkhout after the ball was fizzed in by Romania recruit Florin Tanase. The on-rushing Abdulla Ramadan rocketed home a 20-yard thunderbolt, despite the attentions of Colombian center-back Danilo Arboleda and Al-Ahbabi.<\/p>\n
\nMabkhout\u2019s predatory instincts after the interval ensured he was positioned to profit from a defensive deflection inside the penalty box. True leadership also emerged in the frantic final stages as he cajoled his team-mates over the finish line.<\/p>\n
\nThat is now six strikes in three outings, with goal contributions coming at a punishing average of one every 38.6 minutes \u2014 a dramatic response to last term\u2019s downturn of 10 efforts in 20 matches.<\/p>\n
\nImportantly, it is also a perfect nine points from nine for Al-Jazira heading into the international break. The 2020-21 champions, and their legendary No. 7, are up for another title scrap.<\/p>\n
\nGoal of the week: Brian Ramirez (Al-Ittihad Kalba)<\/strong><\/p>\n\nSomething special is brewing on the UAE east coast.<\/p>\n
\nKalba\u2019s impressive recruitment, headlined by Galatasaray loanee Alexandru Cicaldau and Serie A stalwart Daniel Bessa, has been matched by a rebranding off the pitch. This confluence of purpose was exhibited in a remarkable second goal in a win over Dhafra that lifted to Kalba to fourth.<\/p>\n
\nA total of 20 passes followed from under-21 goalkeeper Eisa Hooti\u2019s sidewinding kick, with every player apart from left-back Abdulaziz Al Hamhami touching the ball. This perfectly calibrated play culminated with UAE veteran Habib Fardan\u2019s artistic flick to Argentine forward Ramirez, who raced through a break in the defense to slot home.<\/p>\n
\nAmbition to gatecrash the UAE game\u2019s established order and compete in the AFC Champions League are fuel at Ittihad Kalba Stadium. Moments like this turbocharge such desire from a club determined to claim the first major silverware of their 50-year existence \u2014 and fast.<\/p>\n
\nCoach of the week: Goran Tufegdzic (Ajman)<\/strong><\/p>\n\nAttention on matchweek 3 gravitated toward events in the capital derby.<\/p>\n
\nAjman\u2019s defiance amid defeat to Sharjah stands as a positive bellwether. Even with the renewed concentration of elite talent at the summit, ferocious competitors can be found in abundance elsewhere.<\/p>\n
\nHead coach Tufegdzic led the Orange Brigade to a joint-best finish of seventh in the professional era during his debut 2021-22 campaign. Clear fighting spirit has been retained, judging by Thursday night\u2019s showing.<\/p>\n
\nThe Serbian\u2019s troops unsettled the star-studded visitors \u2014 with ex-Barcelona players Miralem Pjanic and Alcacer in the starting line-up \u2014 for long spells. They registered six shots on target from 13 attempts, twice took the lead, and boasted the game\u2019s outstanding performer in Congo winger Prestige Mboungou, an adroit late-summer pick-up from Saudi Arabia\u2019s Abha.<\/p>\n
\nSo rattled were the King that UAE center-back Salem Sultan was dismissed late on for an off-the-ball incident.<\/p>\n
\nAjman are yet to taste victory this season. On this evidence, they will soon be enjoying the feeling in weeks to come.<\/p>\n
\nReflections on a joyous start<\/strong><\/p>\n\nThese are exciting days for the ADNOC Pro League.<\/p>\n
\nA rip-roaring start has seen consistently ballooned attendances, a startling rise in playing tempo and young Emiratis excelling amid a burgeoning environment.<\/p>\n
\nThis upturn reached an early culmination at Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium, with Al-Jazira and Al-Ain contesting a game that equalled those in the Roshn Saudi League and Qatar Stars League.<\/p>\n
\nThe competition has benefited immeasurably from the organizing body engaging fan associations and encouraging reach out to wider communities. Their investment to revamp English-language television coverage can only help.<\/p>\n
\nEven more can be expected from an influx of formidable foreign playing additions as\u00a0 temperatures fall.<\/p>\n
\nFor too long in the latter half of the previous decade, crowds dispersed and UAE teams left an increasingly smaller footprint in the AFC Champions League.<\/p>\n
\nThe challenge now in a unique season disrupted by the 2022 World Cup is to maintain this momentum. An enlivening beginning cannot go to waste.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n
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